Whitner was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play when he drove his shoulder into Givens' face mask and dislodged the ball. He was flagged for a personal foul penalty for hitting a defenseless player above the shoulder.

The league deemed the hit a finable offense, but Whitner told The Sacramento Bee that Givens told him after the play that he believed it was a clean hit.

"If the guy that was hit thought it was legal, then I don't know what else to do," Whitner said.

Whitner said he was aiming lower than Givens' shoulders, but the wide receiver dipped into his hit.